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Maps & Atlases

When: Sat., Jan. 26, 8 p.m. 2013
Price: $9.99

Maps & Atlases’ string of EPs over the past seven years are full of polyrhythmic brushstrokes and vintage-sounding guitars. On their recently released second album, Beware and Be Grateful, the Chicago indie-rock quartet expands its sound without completely abandoning that early charm. The band’s turning point came with 2010’s full-length debut, Perch Patchwork, a clear progression within their experimental-folk context. These days, it’s hard to hear how Maps & Atlases were ever tagged math rock. Beware and Be Grateful is a kinder, gentler, and far more subtle work, buoyed by delectable pop and soul leanings – see songs like “Fever,” the sprightly “Pigeon,” and the low-and-slow boogie “Ted Zancha.” Frontman Dave Davison kicks off the record with “Old & Gray,” singing “When you are old and gray, I hope that someone holds you the way that I would” with heartbreaking precision. If their concert at Musica this week is even half as good as the album, it’ll be time and money well spent. (Peter Chakerian)